haley



(No Model.)

A. H. 00X & I. N. HALEY.

PORTABLE BATH.

ATTORNEY.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALFRED H. COX AND ISAAC N. HALEY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

PORTABLE BATH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 477,515, dated June 21, 1892.

Application filed August 25, 1891- Serial No. 403,674. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, ALFRED H. COX and ISAAC N. HALEY, both of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Portable Baths, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to an improved portable apparatus for bathing purposes, and has for its object to provide a simple, compact, and convenient device which may be removably located in a house apartment and afford means to administer a shower or other bath of warm or cold water in a room without in jury to carpets or furniture.

A further object is to produce a bathing device which may be collapsed, so as to form it into a compact package for storage or transportation.

To these ends our invention consists in certain features of construction and combina tions of parts, as is hereinafterdescribed and claimed.

Referenceis to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the device suspended from a fixed support and partly broken away to expose interior parts. Fig.2 represents the device suspended, partly broken away and in a partly collapsed condition. Fig. 3 is a sectional plan view taken on the line 3 3 in Fig. 1, and Fig. 4 is a detached View of a water-receptacle which is one of the details of construction.

The tub or water-receptacle A,'forming the lower portion of the bathing apparatus, may

be made of sheet metal or canvas that is waterproof. Preferably the latter-named material is used to construct the side wall and bottom of the tub, which are circular in contour, as

shownin Fig. 3.

The side wall of the tub A is constructed, preferably, by a secure attachment of the top and lower edges of awater-proof textile material upon two metal or wooden hoops a a of similar form, said hoops being held spaced apart, so as to stretch the wall material by a series of rib-plates b, that are secured between said rings at equal distances apart. Upon the lower ring or hoop a the bottom wall 0 of the tub A has its circumferential edge at tached by any suitable means, said portion being by preference constructed of water-proof fabric so shaped as to cause the bottom to become dished or coniform dependingly when the tub is suspended and contains water. There is a piece of flexible hose 0 connected to the center of the tub-bottom 0, having a stop-valve d inserted to control the escape of water from the tub.

The apparatus furthcrconsists of a preferably flexible tubular screen-wall B, that is made of a proper height to conceal the occupant of the tub A, and also prevent the lateral discharge of water from above, as will be hereinafter explained.

The lower edge of the water-proof wallB encircles the upper hoop a of the tub A and is thereto attached, with exceptionof a sufficient portion to provide the flaps e, that are marginal portions produced by a vertical slit in the screen-wall, through which access is had to the interior and an exit therefrom afforded. A hoop or ring g, equal in diameter to the hoops a a and made of like material, furnishes a border for the top edge of the screenwall 13, that is secured thereon. The ring g is attached to an inner concentric ring g by several arms 9 which serve to stiifen the outer ring, and also afford a support for a spraying device that willbe further described.

As a means of support for the described parts a four-sheaved block 0 is preferably utilized, which is suspended from a stable support at such a height as will permit the suspension of the tub A a proper distance from the floorof the room when the device is being prepared for use or waste water is to be drained from the same after a bath has been taken therein. From the eyebolt h, that is a part of the sheave-block 0, four cords i are extended to pass downwardly through the laterally-proj ecting perforated ears it, that .are formed on the upper ring g, and thence through similar cars at on the upper tub hoop a, engaging the sheaves of four pulley-blocks n, which are secured to the lower hoop a in alignment with the ears 7%. The cords 11 return from the blocks a in an upward direction and pass through the ears m is again, and from the latter are extended through the block 0, engaging its four sheaves on their ends to the block-body and also to the ring at even intervals apart.

It will be apparent that the manipulation of the cords '6 will enable the operator to collapse the screen-wall B and cause it to fold compactly within the tub A when not in use, the entire device hanging pendent from the point of support that may be a hook C in the ceiling of the room or a bracket-arm projected from the side wall.

The bathing device is provided with a spraynozzle .9, which may be attached to aportable water-holder D on a hose-piece t or be connected to ahose-sectionu,which extends from hot or cold water supply valves a, which latter may be part of the fixture of a stationary wash-stand. \Vhen a water-supply under pressure is available, the hose-section ,u is

extended from the valves to upwardly and over the ring g and has its free end connected with the spray-nozzles, that is located in the small ring g, and is thus held centrally within the screen-wall B at a proper height to deliver a shower of water upon the head and body of a bather, there being a stop- "alve 11 introduced in the hose-section near to the spray-nozzle to afford means to graduate or stop entirely the flow of water from the nozzle.

In case there are no hot and cold water sup- 1 ply fixtures in the room where the bathing apparatus is to be located the water-holder D previously mentioned maybe filled with warm or cold water, and when hung by the hook 10 upon the eyebolt h will provide a water-supply for a douche or spray bath that is deliv-;

ered through the hose t.

Inservice the bathing device is lowered by a proper manipulation of the cords 'L, causing the bottom wall of the tub A to rest upon the floor of the apartment, so that the hather will have proper support and avoid injury to the tub. The screen-wall is now closed to prevent escape of water through the vertical slit by hooking the side flaps 6 together. \Vater caused to deliver the waste water therein by its extension toward the basin and the opening of the stop-valve cl.

Below the lower hoop a of the tub A an ornamental petticoat A is hung therefrom, which is gathered into fluted folds and tied with a ribbon when the device is not in service, and thus conceals all thelower parts, retaining the hose within it, as shown in Fig. 2, after which the apparatus in collapsed condition is drawn up into the position indicated in Fig. 2, and is thus removed from obstructing the room and presents a neat ornamental appearanee.

Having thus described our invention, we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. In a suspensible bathing device, the combination, with a tub having a concave bottom and a drain-tube extending from said bottom, of a collapsible screen-wall above the tub and flexible rigging adapted to collapse the wall, substantially as described.

2. In asuspensible bathing device, the combination, with a tub at its lower end having a concave bottom wall and a drain-pipe for the tub, extending from the center of said bottom wall, provided with a stop-cock, of a vertically-collapsible screen-wall having its lower edge joined to the top of the tub, flexible rigging and pulley-blocks for hoisting and lowering the tub and collapsing the screenwall, and a water-supply device, substantially as described.

3. In a suspensible bathing device, a tub comprising a top and bottom hoop, a waterproof side wall, and a dished or concave bottom wall centrally perforated and provided I with a drain-tube, substantially as described.

4. In a suspensible bathing device, the combination, with a circular tub having a convex bottom, a drain-pipe for said bottom, provided with a stopcock, and rigging for raising and lowering the tub, of a water-proof screen-wall suspended from above the tub and attached to the tub by its lower edge, and a clean-water-suppl y device having a spray-nozzle thereon adapted to discharge water near the top of the screen-wall, substantially as described.

5. In a suspensible bathing device, the combination,with a circular tub having a central hole in its concave bottom wall and a drainhose tube connected thereto below the bottom, of a collapsible screen-wall supported from above and adapted to inclose the tub and gathered below the tub to retain and conceal the drain-hose, substantially as described.

ALFRED I-I. COX. ISAAC N. IIALEY. Witnesses:

WM. P. PATTON, E. M. CLARK.

IIO 

